Rev. Dr. Richard Howell

Jesus said, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it (Mark 8:35)."

Mel Gibson, whose film The Passion of the Christ, is 2004's most powerful celebrity, according to Forbes magazine's celebrity 100 power rankings. Gibson, who directed, produced and co-wrote the movie about the last hours of Jesus, earned $210 million and tremendous media buzz from the project, according to the Forbes magazine. Does making money define success for you?

Here is another story of Harold Hart whose Wall Street investing had made him a millionaire. One evening this is how he narrated his success to a journalist who managed an interview. When the journalist arrived he found Harold resting in his favorite chair, with servants waiting on him hand and foot. The journalist sat there waiting as Harold stared blankly into space.

Finally Harold muttered, "You know, nature has played a great hoax on man. You work all your life, go through an endless number of struggles, play all the petty little games, and if you're lucky you finally make it to the top. Well I made it a long time ago, and you know what? It doesn't mean a damn thing. Nature's made a fool of man and the biggest fool of all is me. Here I sit, in poor health, exhausted from years of playing the game, well aware that time is running out, and I keep asking myself, 'Now what, genius? What's your next brilliant move going to be?' All that time I spent worrying, manoeuvring-it was meaningless. Life is nothing but a big hoax. We think we're so important, but the truth is, we're nothing."

Success can make you lazy. As someone has said, "The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places." When things are going well, it's easy to become too comfortable. Complacency replaces commitment. Golfer Rodriguez said, "It's a lot harder to get out of bed in the morning when you're sleeping in silk pyjamas."

Success makes you vulnerable. More people want to tackle you if you're the one carrying the ball. The more successful you become in the world's eyes, the more vulnerable you will be to criticism and jealousy. Others will make more demands of you. As John Maxwell says, "Success is relative; once you have ' it, all the relatives come!"

Success brings temptation. As one Christian said, "If I had more money, I'd just be tempted to sin more extravagantly!" Success breeds an attitude of self-sufficiency. We begin to think we don't really need God. "Such pridefulness is spiritual high cholesterol that clogs our souls and chokes the flow of faith and grace."

Success will not satisfy your soul. Someone said, "Many people spend their lives climbing the ladder of success, only to come to the end and realize it was leaning against the wrong wall!"

Harry Reasoner, reflecting on his career, commented "I envy the people with clear eyes." No matter what rewards life brings you, there's no substitute for a clear sense of purpose and faith. We should never measure our life by what people are saying about us. Genuine selfesteem is based on what God thinks of you, not how many stands in line to shake your hand or slap you on the back. Focus on what you might become in the future, not on what others are saying about you today. What kind of person are you working to become?